Chicken With Orange-Thyme Sauce and Rum-Soaked Bread Pudding

Tonight’s dinner was the talk of the town, everywhere. Well, almost everywhere. My spouse enjoyed it so much she called her best friend, who usually dines with us on Wednesdays but couldn’t make it this evening, and bragged so much that she came over anyway.

And she said she was glad she did!

What did we have? Nothing too extravagant, just good ol’ Southern comfort cooking. Courtesy of Paula Deen (with a few tweaks). Chicken with a cream sauce, veggies on the side, and bread pudding for dessert.

Said that way it doesn’t sound like so much. Make these recipes, though, and you’ll change your tune:

Paula Deen may not be everybody’s cup of tea, as cooks go, but she sure knows her way around a kitchen! And she’s not afraid of Southern ingredients, like butter and cream. Just keep that in mind when enjoying these dishes! They’re not for dieters, at least not all the time. I had a hankering for Down South food, though, even while losing weight, and this meal is my cheat for the week. Maybe the month, but who’s counting?

Besides, I got this collection of Paula Deen recipes from my daughter while she was here over spring break, and I didn’t want to disappoint her! (That’s never healthy, whatever you’re eating. Oh, Hi Jess!)

How would I lighten up these dishes? Well, the pudding, I don’t think I’d even try. (I ate vanilla ice cream with mine to thin it out. That’s my best try.) The chicken, though, you can find other sauces online that provide the orange and/or herb flavor, with fewer calories. Likely not as creamy or as elegant, in the long run. I’d like to think it’s more about portion control with food like this. (Portion control, portion control; Must. Put. Down. Fork! Sigh. I give up.)

The chicken can be oven-baked as an alternative to frying. So with a lighter sauce, this way may fit your dietary constraints. It’s worth a try.